Broward County declares war on Lauderdale Lakes.

So, my pallies over at Broward County sent me today’s Commission meeting Scrivener’s Notes. There’s a ton to absorb, so right now I’ll just highlight the key passages that got me wet.

Mayor Kristin Jacobs:

So all of upper personnel, management, the City Manager himself who I believe this equated to another $7,200 a year as well as the City Commissioners all have received this raise, and so or restoration of a former cut from last year. I find it to be of concern, and then further, in speaking to the Commissioner, learning of other ways in which salaries that there were certain employees that didn’t receive the original ten percent cut at all but now have enjoyed a four percent increase. So I find this troubling, and I wanted to bring it to your attention to ask (it up) for your concurrence in generating a letter to the Mayor of the city to just raise some of the concerns that we might have related to raises in the city, particularly when this county commission has not taken a raise in many, many years.

Jacobs:

I find it disturbing that the city that’s in such dire straits is still not behaving in the most conservative manner that it should.

Commissioner Sue Gunzburger:

I don’t think that the city has bothered taking care of the CRA money that was used for the general operating, and so that we are supposed to be as a county looking at CRA money and how it is spent.

Gunzburger:

I understand but a raise can be rescinded.

Jacobs:

or the very least the elected officials who received it can pledge to give it back.

Jacobs:

I also know that there is some strife between the City Manager and some of the Commissioners as other items that they thought they had approved or not approved have been continuing to come their way. So at any rate, I find it alarming.

Commissioner Stacy Ritter:

It appears that just in reading the Commissioner’s comments that are in the paper about their own raises, they’re not getting it, still not getting it, and right now on this board, I think there are two votes, maybe three.

I know Commissioner Gunzburger and I did, to raise again the point that we should not be in business with Lauderdale Lakes. If there is TIFF CRA money left over at the end of year that is not spent, it should come back to us, among the four entities that are eligible. Where is that money, because there is money left over from the lauderdale lakes cra that is not spent, that is not spent that, by statute, is supposed to come back to us. Where is it? I’d like to know that.

I’d like to know how it’s possible that the Lauderdale Lakes City Commission can agree to defer CRA payments and that deferral the agreement is made with the CRA board and they’re one and the same. How is that? Where is the accountability there?

I know Senator Sobel has called for a state audit. Senator Smith has been asked to call for a state audit but hasn’t come out yet to do it. I hope he does come out because we would all feel better if there was a state audit that expressed that alleviated our concerns here.

I am deeply concerned about where this city continues to head which I believe is off a cliff, and it would not be responsible for this board to follow them, and so far, it seems like that’s what we’re doing, and I want to know if we can stop it, if you can get in there and give us a better idea of what’s going on with the CRA money, with their general revenue money, and if it turns out that the rest of this board is as uncomfortable, how can we stop this?

The city is costing us a lot of money at the expense of other things and they don’t seem to be getting the fact that we have cut them a break over and over and over again. For me, break time stopped a long time ago.

Commissioner Chip Lamarca:

I think the governor probably should have removed everybody in power of a failing business and figured out a way to put somebody else there because it was very

Father of the world-famous Pabst Blue Ribbon Festivus Pole, Chaz’s antics are sure to entertain, educate, and irritate. Chaz has been appeared on The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Fox News, and hundreds of national media outlets, and several international newspapers.

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MAOS is a collaborative experiment of technology and activism. Chaz Stevens, Genius is Editor in Chief.

Father of the world-famous Pabst Blue Ribbon Festivus Pole, Chaz’s antics are sure to entertain, educate, and irritate.

Winner of the 2010 New Times Activist of the Year award, Chaz has been appeared on The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Fox News, and hundreds of national media outlets, and several international newspapers.